One World Cinema

Originally from London, England, Cameron Sinclair, Chief Eternal Optimist, for “Architecture for Humanity,” attended Woodrow Wilson Elementary school in my hometown of Westfield, NJ for two years in the 1980’s.  Cameron has grown up to show that altruism and hard work pay off, by seeking architectural solutions to humanitarian crises by bringing professional design services to communities in need.

As of 2003, primary school was made mandatory and free of charge to all schoolchildren in Kenya.  After the 8th grade, however, there is a limited number of high schools and qualified teachers, and unlike the primary schools, the secondary schools charge a fee, making it difficult for the parents to afford.  North of Nairobi, in the remote mountain region know as the Aberdare Mountains, there was no high school at all, until “The Nobelity Project” and “Architecture for Humanity” came along.

Turk Pipkin, founder of “The Nobelity Project,” an education and action non-profit which seeks to find solutions to many pressing global problems, advocates for the basic rights for children worldwide. Turk had an idea to build a rain-catching basketball court with a roof, water storage tanks and solar powered purification, which won an international design competition known as  the Nike Gamechangers Award, that links sports with social change. It was then that he teamed up with “Architecture for Humanity” to create the area’s first high school, Mahiga Hope High School, fully equipped with a computer and science lab, and eight classrooms for 350 children.

“It costs $11 Billion a year to educate every child worldwide through the eighth grade.  $11 Billion is less than the US Government spends on the military in one week.”

Special appearances from Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson, Barack Obama’s sister, Auma Obama, and Desmond Tutu.

Article by Sharon Abella

http://www.1worldcinema.com

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